Wrestle with your failures, not opponents, Atiku blasts Tinubu over 2027 remark

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has sharply criticized President Bola Tinubu, urging him to shift focus from political posturing to addressing Nigeria's severe economic and security challenges. Abubakar characterized Tinubu's recent statement about being prepared to "wrestle his opponents to the finish" as a display of desperation by a leader overwhelmed by his administration's perceived failures.

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Mr President, you are a drowning man. Wrestle with your failures, not your opponents.

In a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Abubakar referred to President Tinubu as "a drowning man." He argued that the president's combative rhetoric distracts from an "abysmal record in office." Abubakar expressed concern that such remarks were made in response to the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria's call for credible elections, suggesting the occasion demanded reassurance and statesmanship, not threats.

Abubakar advised President Tinubu to redirect his energy towards confronting critical national issues. "Mr President, you are a drowning man. Wrestle with your failures, not your opponents," Abubakar declared. He listed pressing concerns including rampant inflation, food insecurity, high unemployment, pervasive insecurity, and the nation's overall economic decline. "The president should wrestle with the millions of Nigerians who now skip meals because food has become a luxury. He should wrestle with the insecurity that has turned farming communities into graveyards and highways into hunting grounds for criminals," he stated.

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The president should wrestle with the millions of Nigerians who now skip meals because food has become a luxury. He should wrestle with the insecurity that has turned farming communities into graveyards and highways into hunting grounds for criminals. He should wrestle with the unemployment that has robbed an entire generation of hope. He should wrestle with an economy suffocating under policy inconsistency, reckless borrowing and dwindling investor confidence.

The former vice president contended that governments with poor performance records often resort to "political theatrics" to divert public attention. He asserted that "empty slogans cannot fill empty stomachs. Boastful declarations cannot lower food prices. Threats against political opponents cannot restore the value of the naira." Abubakar concluded that the president's primary challenge is not the opposition but the performance of his own administration.

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These are the words of a drowning man. A government that has little to celebrate inevitably seeks refuge in chest-thumping. But Nigerians are no longer interested in political performances. They are interested in performance in government. Empty slogans cannot fill empty stomachs. Boastful declarations cannot lower food prices. Threats against political opponents cannot restore the value of the naira.